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Summary List of stories Phase I Day: Honor, Duty, And Family << chapter 31 Chapter 32 of 75 Rocky Horror Nightmare Night chapter 33 >> << previous scene Scene 2 of 2 next scene >> Location Participants Time Summary Prologue | Phase I | Phase II | Epilogue 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 31 | 32 | 33 | 34 | 35 | 36 | 37 | 38 | 39 | 40 | 41 | 42 | 43 | 44 | 45 46 | 47 | 48 | 49 | 50 | 51 | 52 | 53 | 54 | 55 | 56 | 57 | 58 | 59 | 60 61 | 62 | 63 | 64 | 65 | 66 | 67 | 68 | 69 | 70 | 71 | 72 | 73 | 74 | 75 Text Antares was ecstatic: more than just being given candy from strangers, the foal marveled at all the ponies in costumes. Even some of the Nibelung were dressed up, seeming to enjoy the strange pony holiday as they poked at each other's costumes now and then and chortled like children. Luna grinned widely as they approached a house, and she nodded firmly to Antares when the foal looked up at her with shining eyes before he set himself, charged forwards... and rammed head-first into the door, knocking himself back on his rear and blinking a few times before giggling as Scrivener sighed and dropped his face into a claw, but Twilight and even Celestia both laughed. "He's definitely your son tonight, Luna." "I know, 'tis wonderful!" Luna exclaimed brightly, and then she grinned widely as the door was opened by a smiling Cheerilee, whose expression quickly turned to one of surprise and amazement at the group in front of her and beaming Antares. "Nightmare Night, what a fright, give us something good to bite!" Their voices rang out in unison, even Scrivener smiling despite trying his hardest not to. But then again, Celestia was smiling too, and had said it just as clearly as the others, as Antares burbled gleefully and flailed his hooves before managing to raise his bag of candy and open it almost imploringly. "Well, what a surprise and... and an honor. Baroness Celestia, and... oh my, Luna, is that you?" Cheerilee stared at the Sleipnir-shaped pony, who grinned brightly and nodded rapidly as she struck a pose, before Cheerilee awkwardly turned her eyes down to Antares, smiling warmly as she added: "And you, Antares, can't be only a year old... already up on your hooves and running around like this? Oh, here, let me give you enough for you to share with your family..." The mare leaned back inside, smiling warmly before she pulled out a bowl of candy, tossing a hoof full of candies into the bag, and Antares giggled happily, gazing over Cheerilee before Luna asked curiously: "Where is thy costume? I do not see thee in a costume. Thou art a schoolteacher, shouldn't thou be setting an example for the foals and be in costume?" Cheerilee only laughed a little at this, however, looking up and saying awkwardly: "Oh, well, I'm just going to spend the night here at home, so I figured..." "What? Nay! Twilight Sparkle, invite thy friend to our party, do it now!" Luna ordered imperiously, and Antares glanced up at the adults before he cocked his head curiously before his eyes roved down and stared past Cheerilee at a large box of chocolates sitting on the floor, burbling at the sight of this before he began to slip carefully forwards. "Oh, very well, do not give me such a surly look. I shall do it myself. Cheerilee, thou art invited to Sugar Cube Corners for the most wonderful of parties on this most wonderful of nights." "I... will... try to make it." Cheerilee said lamely, and then she blushed, adding hurriedly: "But I don't have a costume-" "Oh, everypony has a costume of some kind somewhere." Luna retorted crankily, and then she grinned and leaned forwards, half-lidding her eyes. "If I may make a suggestion, I would say be a naughty schoolgirl. 'Twould be most fitting, would it not?" Cheerilee blushed deep red at this, then spluttered a goodbye before slamming the door shut as Luna threw her head back and laughed, then grinned down at the bag of candy... before paling as she realized Antares Mīrus was gone. She looked wildly back and forth, and then the door to the small house opened and the lavender earth pony awkwardly held out Antares, who was clutching the mostly-empty box of candy against his chest and scowling horribly at Luna. Luna grinned lamely as she reached out and gently plucked her son up, and Cheerilee quickly retreated against into her house before the Sleipnir-costumed pony said awkwardly: "Well, 'tis thine own fault! And none of thee noticed him wander into the house!" "I did." Celestia said mildly, and Scrivener Blooms looked over his shoulder at her in surprise as the Nightmare Moon-disguised equine shrugged and said meditatively: "I'm hoping that little sister will take a lesson from this, although I know that may be hoping for a little too much, but... all the same." "I... I take lessons from many things!" Luna argued, and then she mumbled: "The lesson I have chosen to understand, however, is that thou art evil, Celestia. Thou art evil and cruel. Letting me think I had lost my precious little Antares..." "No." Antares said huffily, and Luna rolled her eyes as she put her son down before Antares shoved his face into the candy box... then yelled and panicked a little when his face became stuck, shaking his head violently back and forth as he flailed his hooves. "Hurt! Hurt!" "Oh, thou art not hurt, calm now, child." Luna chided gently, reaching down and carefully tugging the box off his features, and the foal looked up with a blush before Luna leaned over and poured the last of the box's contents into Antares' bag and then simply tossed the empty container aside into the bushes, earning flat looks from the other adults. "Oh, 'tis not littering, really. 'Tis... giving it back to its rightful owner. But come, then. Let us continue, the night is still young!" Luna smiled as she turned around, prancing out into the busy road, and Antares happily picked up his bag of goodies before sprinting after her, Scrivener smiling and shaking his head as Twilight asked mildly: "So how long do you think this is going to go on for? We've been out here an hour and neither of them seems to be slowing down. We have to have hit almost every house in Ponyville by now." "Yes, well, Luna won't be satisfied until she's gotten candy from every pony in Ponyville." Scrivener replied mildly, and then he looked up to see Luna had halted with a wide grin before the half-wyrm, half-pony shaped male laughed and halted, both Celestia and Twilight gazing warmly up as well. "Well, look what we have here." Scarlet Sage blushed deeply as she walked towards them, her head sticking out from a dirty cloak next to Apple Bloom, who was grinning brightly. They moved in an awkward shuffle, looking like a single, two-headed pony: a simple but very effective costume, since they were both somehow balanced with their sides pressing together so it looked as if they only had four legs. Antares was gaping up at this sight as Scarlet Sage's single visible wing flapped, and Apple Bloom winked out from beneath her frazzled mane and the makeup she had splattered both herself and Scarlet with, saying easily: "Don't you worry, little fella, you'll get your sister back by tomorrow. But for tonight..." She winked again, and Antares burbled and flailed wildly, staring in shock from beneath his Tyrant Wyrm costume before Scarlet Sage laughed and shook her head, reassuring quickly: "It's okay, Antares, don't worry! It's just an outfit, see?" Scarlet Sage wiggled a bit, and then poked her other front hoof out through a slot in the cloak, and the baby looked relieved by this as Luna commented cheerfully: "But 'tis quite impressive all the same... although it could certainly be better, aye: why, I could meld thee both together if thou desired, just for the night! Unless the spell went wrong of course, but... bah, that rarely happens, here, let me..." Scarlet Sage and Apple Bloom both stared in horror as Luna grinned and leaned forwards, invisible horn lighting up before Scrivener reached up and firmly squeezed her horn with his claw, dragging her head back down as Luna gave an awkward little squeak. "Alright, alright, enough. But I'm glad you could join us, Scarlet Sage... and of course it's always good to see you too, Apple Bloom... but I thought you'd be spending the night with your own family, or at least Scoot and Sweetie." "Nah, they feel they're too cool for candy gatherin', and I'm sure I'll catch 'em at Sugar Cube Corners. And big sis and Dash are back at the farm with Avalon, since she's too young to trick or treat or anything." Apple Bloom winked down at Antares, who giggled and flailed a little happily. "Not like you, huh? Real lucky, you know that?" "Lucky." Antares smiled and nodded warmly, gazing affectionately over Scarlet Sage and Apple Bloom before he burbled excitedly and pointed at a house ahead they hadn't yet been to. "Bite! Bite!" "Bite?" Apple Bloom looked confused, but then Scarlet Sage grinned and whispered to her quickly, and the earth pony nodded and laughed a few times. "Oh, I get it! Sure, though... come on, Scarlet Sage, let's turn this thing around." Scarlet Sage smiled, the ponies visibly leaning against one another as they carefully began to walk around in a slow circle, giggling a bit between themselves as Luna gazed affectionately at their teamwork, then grinned over at Scrivener, who snorted and shoved her firmly. Luna huffed, then firmly bodychecked him, knocking the stallion flat as Antares giggled brightly at his parents' behavior before he turned and scrambled quickly past the two-headed pony to run towards the door and join the other foals approaching the house. Celestia smiled, and Twilight laughed when the door opened and the foals called out brightly... and then they both stared, along with Luna and Scrivener, as the pony ran out of his own house with a horrified look at the sound of a mechanical howl. A moment later, a tall, gangly creature in a hockey mask charged out of the house, a chainsaw squealing away in his hands and vomiting up smoke as he swung it wildly back and forth, the foals yelling and panicking as Scarlet Sage and Apple Bloom fell backwards. But Antares was still only sitting, flinching from the sound before he glared up at the figure as it stopped in front of him, raising the chainsaw, and then Antares pointed up at him and said firmly, as Luna realized dumbly that the only thing it would be was a Draconequus: "No. No. Disco-Bob, no." The chainsaw cut out, and the Draconequus heaved a theatrical sigh as he let his arms slump, Discombobulation saying moodily from behind the mask: "Here I am, trying to get into the proper Halloween Town spirit, and you go and completely ruin things. You combo breaker me, and I could have had a killstreak of at least half a dozen foals. Just how can you be so cruel, Antares Mīrus? And I'm quite certain you're not supposed to be in the 'no' phase until you're at least three years old, by the way. You are illogical." "Discombobulation! Why would thou do that?" Luna shouted incredulously, as Scarlet Sage and Apple Bloom struggled to get up and the others only stared. Then the Sleipnir-shaped equine glared and charged forwards, before wincing when Discombobulation hurriedly backed up but held up the chainsaw between them defensively. "That is not... why would... no!" "Did I go too far? Was it too much? Too over the top? I'm not very good at this whole 'prank' thing, it's all quite a conundrum." Discombobulation replied mildly, even as he pulled the mask up before rubbing absently at the machine in his grip. "I mean, they're done with the specific purpose of insulting or scaring someone, yet it seems it's possible to do so in a 'friendly' way, just as it's possible to be 'too extreme,' as I apparently was. Personally, I thought the chainsaw was a nice touch. Wasn't it a nice touch?" "No." Antares and Luna said at the same time, both glaring at the Draconequus, and he huffed at them grumpily and scowled in return before raising the chainsaw hurriedly again when Luna took another step forwards. For a moment, Luna only glared at him as the Draconequus swung the chainsaw back and forth at roughly head-level with the Sleipnir-shaped pony, as he said pointedly: "Don't make me prune your hedges, Scrivener Blooms. Which is funny because... you actually have plant life growing out of your head. Your brother must have been particularly good with birds and small animals and other nesting animals." "We would never allow him to keep pets in his mane." Celestia supplied calmly, and Discombobulation looked up in dumb surprise at this before the Nightmare Moon disguised equine nodded kindly, then simply flicked her horn, and the chainsaw in Discombobulation's hands glowed brightly before falling apart, as Celestia added gently: "The more complex an object, the more energy you put into making it, and the easier it is to interrupt that supply." "Oh, yes, supply and demand. A very useful lesson in economics, a dreadfully boring subject." Discombobulation nodded seriously a few times, and then he slowly put his hands behind his back as Luna grinned widely at him before he leaned forwards and said casually: "Whatever you do, Scrivener Blooms, don't look behind you." Luna frowned at him, then she snuck a glance over her shoulder; immediately, Discombobulation staggered around in a circle and sprinted away, and Luna shouted in frustration as she ran after him before she was followed by a yelling Antares as Scrivener Blooms remarked dryly: "I'll have to remember that trick." Category:Transcript Category:Story